Experiment: smooth wheel discs tested A-B-A - 4.6% mpg improvement @ 65 mph

[GasGuage]

Hello Concrete, great mods! I'm new to this site & have an S-10 similar to yours. Mine's a '97, 4banger w/5speed. My mileage is around 27 bone stock. I normally drive anywhere between 50-55mph. I love those pizza pan wheel covers. I might just do that myself. I see you have an E-fan. I was wondering how exactly did you go about that installation? I've been looking at 14-16" Efans. I'm interested in where you stuck themostat unit in the engine. I've seen them advertised as 3/8" threaded NPT & push in types. The threaded ones seem like the best way to go. If you used this type, where did you add it? Thanks.

[Concrete]

Originally Posted by GasGuage

Hello Concrete, great mods! I'm new to this site & have an S-10 similar to yours. Mine's a '97, 4banger w/5speed. My mileage is around 27 bone stock. I normally drive anywhere between 50-55mph. I love those pizza pan wheel covers. I might just do that myself. I see you have an E-fan. I was wondering how exactly did you go about that installation? I've been looking at 14-16" Efans. I'm interested in where you stuck themostat unit in the engine. I've seen them advertised as 3/8" threaded NPT & push in types. The threaded ones seem like the best way to go. If you used this type, where did you add it? Thanks.

GasGauge,
welcome aboard
27mpg is great - I wish I had a manual

I highly recommend the E-fan mod - For performance and economy!
here is the best "how to" I have found
http://www.s-seriesforum.com/how-to-efan.html

[GasGuage]

Thanks for the link Concrete. I found that Summit Racing has a complete wiring harness & relays for about $45. I'm just not sure where to put that thermo probe. Somewhere in the head I'd guess if I could find a removable plug. My engine is the 2.2L. I need to study those diagrams a little harder.

The pizza pans have went up to $3.27 @ Walmart, at least in my end of the country. I bought one to see what it'd look like. My wife said it was fugly, but I thought it was cool. They could be painted too. She doesn't have to drive it. I'll have the last laugh when that big V8 Dodge she has runs out of gas & I'm still haulin' around with plenty. It's too cold to do anything right now anyways. 4.5* this morning. Good time for research.

[Concrete]

The probe just pushes thru the radiator fins
of course you could just do like Bennelson & put it on a switch

if you are primarily highway driving you don't even need a fan
your radiator is way too big for the 2.2 liter
I survived last summer with my grill almost complete blocked

[GasGuage]

I live in a rural area, so most of my driving is Hwy. And my temp guage is always low. Actually, I thought it was a little too low & replaced the thermostat & anti-freeze this fall, but it's holding about the same. The heater is plenty warm though. The switch would be a good idea except for one thing. On the hottest of days when the heat index hits around 110*, & the A/C would be on with my wife driving it, she might neglect to switch on the fan. I'd definitely would have to have the thermo probe. But seeing how the radiator is way too much for my 2.2, I think I'll go out this aftn & block off my grill. I just filled it up today for $12.90 (don't you love it?). That was about 8.4gal. Then I could see on my next fillup what kind of gains I could get off of that mod. This hypermilin' is getting addicting, or self competitive. Another idea I had today for a screw-in type probe would be to locate it in the radiator hose. That hose could be cut in half with a pipe & clamps installed in the middle somewhere with a pipe threaded nut welded to it for the 3/8" NPT probe. That might not me a bad thought. Once I get the fan, the wiring, relays & whatnots, and tear into it, that would be the best time to decide how best to wire this thing. Was there any special ways you attached that fan to the radiator, or shroud? Will the zip ties hold up OK? Thanks.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Concrete

Tasdrouille,
Awesome data - like the interesting low speed non-domed anomaly
glad I have my wonderful domed pizza pans

it would be good to understand how that Cd change impacted total drag
did they calculate it in any way a person could directly convert to FE for a similar car
it might help folks understand how significant wheel covers are or are not
.5 mpg improvement is terribly hard to tease out of real life - even with a scan gage
while I recommend smooth covers - I would hate to create too high of expectations

I do not think most modern cars will show a savings without a wind tunnel
wheel wells are tight and tires are flush (suvs and trucks maybe another story)
I attribute my results being more significant because of my large wheel wells & very recessed wheels
at least with the covers the air can re-establish which way it is supposed to be going
In fact I only tested and reported because I noticed a difference
I really did not expect to notice it when I installed them (thus my $20 budget for the design)





Xringer,
you are a man after my own heart (right down to the 44 psi )
attached a picture of my set up - just like you described

Also took the picture in it's natural state (dirty), for those considering clear covers
what does it take to get this splatter - dust, rust and a puddle
clear covers are best left for concept cars

Just tell everybody that dirt is a Jackson Pollack signed original and if they have to ask how much those wheelcovers cost,they can't afford 'em.

[Concrete]

Originally Posted by GasGuage

I live in a rural area, so most of my driving is Hwy. And my temp guage is always low. Actually, I thought it was a little too low & replaced the thermostat & anti-freeze this fall, but it's holding about the same. The heater is plenty warm though. The switch would be a good idea except for one thing. On the hottest of days when the heat index hits around 110*, & the A/C would be on with my wife driving it, she might neglect to switch on the fan. I'd definitely would have to have the thermo probe. But seeing how the radiator is way too much for my 2.2, I think I'll go out this aftn & block off my grill. I just filled it up today for $12.90 (don't you love it?). That was about 8.4gal. Then I could see on my next fillup what kind of gains I could get off of that mod. This hypermilin' is getting addicting, or self competitive. Another idea I had today for a screw-in type probe would be to locate it in the radiator hose. That hose could be cut in half with a pipe & clamps installed in the middle somewhere with a pipe threaded nut welded to it for the 3/8" NPT probe. That might not me a bad thought. Once I get the fan, the wiring, relays & whatnots, and tear into it, that would be the best time to decide how best to wire this thing. Was there any special ways you attached that fan to the radiator, or shroud? Will the zip ties hold up OK? Thanks.

good luck on the grill block - it has amazed me how little grill a vehicle needs

as for the E-fan
check out your local auto parts store - they should have everything you need
this is an established performance mod now
do not worry about breaking into the plumbing
everything you need can pin thru the radiator - both the fan & the sensor
I used a Taurus fan - fits S10 real well and just clamped it under the existing shroud w/ a bit of foam
knowing what I know now - I would just buy an after market fan a pin it on


Sean T.,
to answer your question on cover removal - check out post #8
I only have one screw to remove the wheel cover (for better or worse)
then the wheel is back to a stock set up

[GasGuage]

With the warmer weather here yesterday, I decided to tear into that S-10. I seen that the shroud will need to remain to hold the radiator in place. I started to remove the fan & it was a little different then I expected. After a quick look at a vehicle manual, I noticed my model ('97) was different then the earlier models. Instead of having the normal 4 bolts that holds it on the pulley, it has one large bolt. It's large alright, the biggest open end wrench I have is an inch, & that's way too small. I managed to get a pipe wrench between the fan blades & pulley, but I wasn't sure that was going to work either. The problem is holding the pulley. When trying to break the nut loose, the pulley spins also on the belt. I can't think of any way to stationary that pulley without removing it. Now I'm getting into that serpentine belt. I didn't have the time for that much work, so I had to suspend this endeavor for another time, & hopefully acquire a little more knowledge about serpentine belts & removal. I only have had dealings with V belts. Something this simple is turning into a major undertaking.

[extragoode]

The parking brake on and the trans in a gear should keep your serpentine belt from moving. That's what I did when I changed the belt on my 2.2L S10 (that was a great little truck) to remove the AC compressor. The most problems I had were with the tensioner.

[Buddy]

I bought some full aluminum racing discs from Hubcap Mikes that I will be putting on an '02 Highlander. However, I will not be screwing them into the wheel rims, but will jury rig some type of small blocks on 3 of the large spokes so that the discs can be screwed into the the blocks and easily removed for tire rotations/changes. I'm concerned about upsetting the wheel balance. Has any one out there addressed this concern?